Billiard target practice device

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for billiards practice, comprising a housing; an emitter connectively disposed to the housing; a pair of detectors equally spaced about the emitter; a controller having logic controlling the emitter; at least one indicator in communication with the logic; the logic receiving at least one signal from the detectors via the emitter projecting the signal onto the surface of the billiards ball; the logic resolving the position of the billiards ball with respect to the emitter in concert with the detectors; and a response to the logic resolved position of the billiards ball via the indicator. The player&#39;s instant feedback is implemented via a controller disposed within the billiards practice device. The controller has means to emit infrared signals and capture the return reflected infrared signal from the cue ball. The returned infrared signals are interpreted and processed via the controller. Once processing is complete, the controller has means to notify the player as to the execution of his shot via at least one indicator(s).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates, in general, to a mechanism mountable on abilliard table or other structure for providing information. Inparticular, the invention relates to a mechanism that acquires data fromthe billiard table as to accuracy of a billiard ball impacting a raisedcushion railing of the billiard table. More particularly, the inventionrelates to an instant feedback system indicating to the billiard playeras to the accuracy of a billiard ball impacting the raised cushionrailing of the billiard table.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Billiards referred to herein encompasses a plurality of differentgames, such as, but not limited to, three ball, eight ball, nine ball,Snooker or any other type of game played on a rectangular or othergeometric shaped cloth-covered table with raised cushioned edges, inwhich a cue is used to hit a hard ball (cue ball) against another ballor the side cushions of the table.

[0003] The game of billiards is continuing to grow in popularity.According to the Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association's January 2002State of the Industry Report, there were 37.5 million players in theU.S. alone. Approximately 7% of those are “devoted” players (playingmore than twice per week). Almost all of these players have a desire toimprove their game. Billiards is a game of skill and accuracy. Inaddition to understanding the basics of the game and the geometry of theshots, players must also develop the skill to shoot well with the properamount of force, correct aim and English. English is defined as the spingiven to a ball by striking it on one side or releasing it with a sharptwist.

[0004] Developing the correct aim is a daunting task for the causal andavid players of billiards. There are many factors to consider inaligning the cue with the cue ball and an intended target. The intendedtarget may be another ball or one or more of the raised cushioned railsthat enclose the billiard table. Further, the player must consider thedistance to the intended target and their own skill level in executingthe shot. Unfortunately, many factors can affect a shot and if theplayer's shot is unsuccessful, he is left wondering what went wrong. Didhe miss his desired target point? Was his desired target point in error?Was there too much (or too little) English? Indeed, even if the playermakes his shot, aim could have still been off slightly but not enough tocause a missed shot.

[0005] It would be desirable for the causal or avid billiard player toreceive instant feedback as to the accuracy of his shot. The feedbackwould enable the player to improve his skill level by providingimmediate information as to where the cue ball struck the intendedtarget, i.e., another ball or one or more of the raised cushioned railsthat enclose the billiard table, thus allowing the player to makeappropriate corrective actions on subsequent shots.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present invention is a billiards practice device ormonitoring device. The present invention may, if desired, be positionedalong one of the rails of the billiard table. The present inventioncomprises at least one infrared emitter and a pair of infrared sensors.The infrared emitter is focused outwardly across the top surface of thebilliard table. The infrared sensors are selectively positioned in sucha manner as to receive reflected infrared signals from an object, i.e.,the cue ball at or near the rail of the billiard table. In combination,the infrared emitter and sensors form a field-of-view that extends fromthe railing of the billiard table to a select distance disposed on thetop surface of the billiard table. Once the cue ball enters thefield-of-view, it reflects the infrared signal impinging on its surface.The reflected infrared signals positionally denote the cue ball inrelation to the railing and the infrared sensors, i.e., the infraredsignals represent data that is captured by the infrared sensors,interpreted and processed by the present invention.

[0007] The present invention includes a controller disposed within themonitoring device. The controller has a program stored in memory thatcommands and controls the operational features of the present invention.The controller receives, interprets and processes the data. Based on theinterpretation of the processed data the controller directs at least oneindicator disposed on the monitoring device to notify the billiardplayer whether the intended shot was on target as planned, i.e.,directly aligned with the infrared emitter or if it was spaced to theleft or to the right of the infrared emitter.

[0008] When taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and theappended claims, other features and advantages of the present inventionbecome apparent upon reading the following detailed description ofembodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The invention is illustrated in the drawings in which likereference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout thefigures of which:

[0010]FIG. 1a illustrates a schematic view and the operation of thepreferred embodiment of the present invention when the cue ball impactsa raised cushioned rail of a billiard table on the desired target point,

[0011]FIG. 1b illustrates a schematic view and the operation of thepresent invention when a cue ball impacts a raised cushioned rail of abilliard table to the left or right of the desired target point,

[0012]FIG. 2 illustrates an electrical schematic view of the presentinvention depicted in FIG. 1a,

[0013]FIG. 3a illustrates a top level view of a command and control flowchart of the program stored in the microcontroller of FIG. 2,

[0014]FIG. 3b illustrates a top-level view of the timer interrupt flowchart detailing program code that is executed when the software timerinterrupt of FIG. 3a occurs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] One embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIG. 1a is abilliard practice device 10 used to aid the billiard player in theexecution of hitting the cue ball 11 in a desired manner such that thecue ball 11 strikes a raised cushioned edge(s) 12 at an intended point.

[0016] The device 10 is preferably positioned along one of the raisedcushioned edges 12. Preferably, the device 10 is positioned along one ofthe short sides of the rectangular cloth-covered table. The device 10may, if desired, be enclosed in any type of housing 13 that enables thedevice 10 to be positioned on any of the raised cushioned edges 12 ofthe rectangular cloth-covered table. The housing 13 has a front wall 14.The front wall 14 faces in the direction of the top surface of therectangular cloth-covered table. An infrared emitter 16 is positionedalong the front wall 14 of the housing 13. Any position may be selectedfor the placement of the infrared emitter 16 on the front wall 14. Apair of infrared sensors 17 and 18 are selectively positioned about theinfrared emitter 16. The pair of infrared sensors 17 and 18 areselectively positioned with respect to the infrared emitter 16 to enablea desired field-of-view adjacently spaced from the raised cushionededges 12. For example, the device 10 is positioned with a field-of-viewcoinciding or contiguous with the raised cushioned edges 12. The sensors17 and 18 in concert with the infrared emitter 16 construct the focalpoint at the edge of the raised cushion 12. If desired, the device 10field-of-view may be extended to any convenient point on the rectangularcloth-covered table by selectively spacing the infrared sensors 17 and18 with respect to the infrared emitter 16 to have the focal point ofthe field-of-view converge at a desired point on the table.

[0017] During a practice session, the billiard player strikes or hitsthe cue ball 11 with the intent of the cue ball 11 striking the raisedcushioned 12 at a point aligned with the infrared emitter 16. When thecue ball 11 enters the field-of-view of the device 10, the infraredsignal impinging the surface of the cue ball 11 is reflected towards theinfrared sensors 17 and 18. The received infrared signal is interpretedand processed by the device 10. The device 10 has at least one indicatormounted onto the rectangular housing 13. The device 10 directs theindicator to notify the billiard player whether the intended shot was ontarget as planed, i.e., directly aligned with the infrared emitter 16 orif it was spaced to the left or to the right of the infrared emitter 16.

[0018] The housing 13 may if desired, be substantially rectangular orany or other convenient geometric shape. The housing 13 has a front wall14, a rear wall 15, a top wall 24 and bottom wall 25 (not shown) formingthe enclosure for the device 10. The housing 13 may, if desired, befabricated from any convenient material. Examples of convenientmaterials are metal, wood, plastic, ceramic, composite, a polymer ormixtures or composites of the foregoing. The bottom wall 25 engages theraised cushioned edges 12 of the rectangular cloth-covered table. Thebottom wall 25 may, if desired, be affixed to the raised cushioned edges12 by any convenient means, such as, but not limited to, double sidedadhesive tape, hook and loop fastener or sufficient weight added to thehousing 13 to secure it in a selected position along the raisedcushioned edges 12.

[0019] Infrared emitter 16 and infrared sensors 17 and 18 are mountedinside housing 13 along front wall 14. Front wall 14 is fabricated froma material that is transparent to infrared light that is emitted byinfrared emitter 16. The indicator may, if desired, be a series oflights 19, 20 and 21 mounted onto the top wall 24. The light 20indicates the intended shot was on target as depicted in FIG. 1a andlights 19 and 21 indicate the shot was to the left 22 or to the right 23of the intended target, as shown in FIG. 1b. Additionally, an audioindicator may, if desired, emit a distinctive audible tone indicatingwhether the intended shot was on target or if the shot was to the rightor left of the intended target. Further, a digital numeric display may,if desired, indicate the exact distance from the intended target to theactual point of impact of the cue ball 11 with the raised cushionededges 12.

[0020] The intelligence for commanding and controlling the device 10resides in a microcontroller 27, as shown in FIG. 2. The microcontroller27 has an internal memory wherein a program is stored containing aplurality of instructions that command and control the device 10. Thecommand and control of the present invention 10 is implemented via afirst Analog-to-Digital port 28 in communication with a sensitivitycontrol 38, a second Analog-to-Digital port 29 in communication withinfrared sensor 18 and a third Analog-to-Digital port 30 incommunication with infrared sensor 17. Further, implementation isprovided via a first digital port 31 in communication with infraredemitter 16, a second digital port 32 in communication with the left oftarget indicator 19, a third digital port 33 in communication with thecenter of target indicator 20 and a forth digital port 34 incommunication with a right of target indicator 21. Furtherimplementation is provided via a pulse width modulator output port 35 incommunication with an audible tone generator 36.

[0021] Any convenient microcontroller that enables the device 10, asshown in FIG. , to function as delineated herein may be used. An exampleof a suitable microcontroller is a PIC 16F873 microcontrollermanufactured by Microchip Technology of Chandler, Ariz. The PIC16F873microcontroller has three Analog-to-Digital ports, four digital portsand a PWM port 35 for sound generation.

[0022] The controlling program stored in the microcontroller 27 memoryhas as its fundamental premise the comparing of ambient light to thereflected light from within the field-of-view of the device 10. Thedevice 10 is initialized 40, as shown in FIG. 3a, by configuring digitalports 31, 32, 33 and 34 as output ports to drive emitter 16 andindicators 19, 20 and 21, respectively. The Analog-to-Digital ports 28,29 and 30 are activated to receive incoming data. A microcontroller 27internal timer is activated to generate periodic interrupts that willexecute instructions 41 of FIG. 3b to acquire and process incoming datafrom the Analog-to-Digital ports 28, 29 and 30. Once the initializationis complete and the timer activated, the program then sits in aninfinite loop.

[0023] Upon Timer Interrupt, the device 10 is commanded 41 to acquiredata from the field-of-view of the infrared sensors 17 and 18. Theacquired data comprises two sets of readings from each sensor (a totalof four readings). The readings are compared to determine if the cueball 11 is in the field-of-view of the infrared sensors 17 and 18. Thefirst pair of readings is performed with infrared emitter 16 turned offand the infrared sensors 17 and 18 receiving data. The data received bythe infrared sensors 17 and 18 represents the ambient light level in thearea adjacent to the field-of-view. The second pair of readings isperformed with the infrared emitter 16 turned on. If the cue ball 11 iswithin the field-of-view of the infrared sensors 17 and 18 the secondreading data increases significantly. By comparing the amplitudes of theincrease, the program may determine where the cue ball 11 engaged theraised cushioned edge 12. If the data obtained from the infrared sensors17 and 18 is of equal magnitude or within a band defined by thesensitivity control 38, the shot is considered to be on target. Theindicator 20 may, if desired, be illuminated and the audible tonegenerator 36 may be activated. If the data obtained from the infraredsensors 17 and 18 is of unequal magnitude, the program determines if theshot is to the right or the left of the center and commands theappropriate indicator 19 or 21 to be activated. The activation may, ifdesired, be the same or different from the on target indicator 20.

[0024] Although only a few exemplary embodiments of this invention havebeen described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readilyappreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplaryembodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings andadvantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications areintended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined inthe following claims. Means-plus-function clause is intended to coverthe structures described herein as performing the recited function andnot only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures. Allpatents, applications and publications mentioned herein are incorporatedby reference in their entirety.

I claim:
 1. An apparatus for billiards practice, billiards comprising abilliard table having railing, the table having at least one billiardball disposed thereon, a monitoring device positioned along one of therails, the monitoring device having disposed therein a controller withmemory, a program stored within the memory, the program having aplurality of data structures commanding and controlling the apparatus,the apparatus having means for establishing a field of view focused ontothe table, the field of view being constructed via means fortransmitting and receiving at least one signal disposed within the fieldof view, comprising: a) at least one communication data structurereceiving at least one signal from within the means for the field ofview; b) at least one responsive data structure transforming saidcommunication data structure into indicator data; c) at least onedetermining data structure interpreting said indicator data, saiddetermining data structure resolving a selected position of the billiardball within the field of view; and d) at least one broadcast datastructure transforming said determined selected position of the billiardball into a positional indicator of the billiard ball within the fieldof view.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a) at leastone resolving data structure interpreting said indicator data as absenceof the billiard ball from the field of view; b) said resolving datastructure transforming the absence of the billiard ball from the fieldof view into base level data; c) said determining data structure incommunication with said resolving data structure; d) said determiningdata structure calculating said selected position of the billiard ballwithin the field of view via said base level data.
 3. The apparatus ofclaim 2, wherein said positional indicator of the billiard ball withinthe field of view is the center of the field of view.
 4. The apparatusof claim 3, wherein said positional indicator of the billiard ballwithin the field of view is to the right of the center of the field ofview.
 5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said positional indicator ofthe billiard ball within the field of view is to the left of the centerof the field of view.
 6. An apparatus for billiards practice, billiardscomprising a billiard table having railing, the table having at leastone billiards ball disposed thereon, the apparatus comprising: a) ahousing; b) an emitter connectively disposed to said housing; c) a pairof detectors equally spaced about said emitter; d) a controller havinglogic controlling said emitter; e) at least one indicator incommunication with said logic; f) said logic receiving at least onesignal from said detectors via said emitter projecting said signal ontothe surface of the billiards ball; g) said logic resolving the positionof the billiards ball with respect to said emitter in concert with saiddetectors; and h) a response to said logic resolved position of thebilliards ball via said indicator.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, whereinsaid housing a substantially rectangular housing having two long sidesand two short sides.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said emitteris an infrared emitter.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein saidemitter is medially spaced to said housing's two short sides.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 9, wherein said pair of detectors spaced inline withsaid emitter.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said pair ofdetectors parallel with the railing of the table and inline with saidemitter.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a field ofview determined via said emitter in concert with said detectors.
 13. Theapparatus of claim 12, wherein said logic resolving the position of thebilliards ball within said field of view.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13,wherein said logic resolved position of the billiards ball within saidfield of view being to the right or left of said emitter.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 14, wherein said response is an audible tone emittedvia said indicator.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said responsebeing a light emitted via said indicator.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16,wherein said response is a digital distance reading via said indicator.18. An apparatus for billiards practice, billiards comprising a billiardtable having railing, the table having at least one billiard balldisposed thereon, a monitoring device positioned along one of the rails,the monitoring device having disposed therein a controller with memory,a program stored within the memory, the program having a plurality ofdata structures commanding and controlling the apparatus, the controllerhaving means for establishing a field of view focused onto the table,the field of view being constructed via means for transmitting andreceiving at least one signal disposed within the field of view,comprising: a) a housing; b) an emitter connectively disposed to saidhousing; c) a pair of detectors equally spaced about said emitter; d) atleast one communication data structure stored in the controller, saidcommunication data structure receiving at least one signal from withinthe means for the field of view; e) at least one responsive datastructure transforming said communication data structure into indicatordata; f) at least one determining data structure interpreting saidindicator data, said determining data structure resolving a selectedposition of the billiard ball within the field of view; g) at least onebroadcast data structure transforming said determined selected positionof the billiard ball into a center position of the billiard ball withinthe field of view; h) said resolving data structure transforming theabsence of the billiard ball from the field of view into base leveldata; i) said determining data structure in communication with saidresolving data structure; and j) said determining data structurecalculating said selected position of the billiard ball within the fieldof view via said base level data.